In 1982, Shaw was chosen for the small but crucial role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, the third and final film in the original Star Wars trilogy. Although David Prowse played the costumed scenes and James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader, just as they had in the first two films, Shaw was cast in a single scene with Mark Hamill, during the moment aboard Death Star II when Luke Skywalker unmasks his dying father. Since the scene was unquestionably the emotional climax of the film, the casting crew sought an experienced actor for the role.
When Shaw arrived at the set for filming, he ran into his friend Ian McDiarmid, the actor playing Emperor Palpatine. When McDiarmid asked him what he was doing there, Shaw responded, "I don't know, dear boy, I think it's something to do with science-fiction." His presence during the filming was kept secret from all but the minimum cast and crew, and Shaw was contractually obliged not to discuss any film secrets with anyone, even his family. The unmasking scene, directed by Richard Marquand, was filmed in one day and required only a few takes, with no alteration from the original dialogue. When the film was re-released on DVD in 2004, a few changes were made: the unmasking scene with Hamill remained mostly the same, but Shaw's eyebrows were digitally removed to tie in with the injuries Anakin Skywalker suffers at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Shaw's eyes were also digitally coloured to look like those of Hayden Christensen, the actor who played Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars creator George Lucas personally directed Shaw for his appearance in the final scene of the film, in which he is a Force Ghost of Anakin. Shaw's image in this scene was replaced with that of Christensen in the 2004 release. This attempt to tie the prequel and original trilogies together proved to be one of the most controversial changes in the Star Wars re-releases.
Although Shaw's unmasking scene lasted only two minutes and seven seconds and included just 24 words of dialogue spoken by Shaw, he received more fan mail and autograph requests from Return of the Jedi than he had for any role in his career. He later reflected that he very much enjoyed his experience filming for Return of the Jedi and expressed particular surprise that an action figure was made of him from the film.
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